1050 - Using the bottom rack for smoking?

[srr5008]

I was curious as to whether or not people were using their bottom racks for smoking, or just for grilling? I've been watching several YouTube reviews, and many people are saying the bottom rack gets too hot due to the lack of a heat deflector (which the Char Griller 980 has).

One of the reasons I was interested in the 1050 was due to the cooking space, but you loose almost half of it if the bottom rack is too hot for smoking. Looking for some feedback from those who own them.

Thanks!

 

[xbubblehead]

On my Char-Broil bullet the bottom rack is pretty close to the water pan so I doubt it's going too get too hot. Everything I've read about water smokers is that the hottest area is just under the lid which makes sense given the air-flow and overall design, that only applies if the water pan has water in it.

 

[912smoker]

I use the bottom rack on the 1050 with is rack/pan combo for easy clean up .
I also use a seperate thermo to keep track of grate temps. I used the middle rack with a drip pan on the bottom grate before i found this combo.

Robot or human?

 

[H. E. Pennpacker]

Not entirely the same comparison but I have the 560 and I use the bottom rack all the time for smoking. On the 560 the temp probe is not too far above the grate surface so I would think its fairly accurate. Next time you smoke something put another probe on the bottom rack for comparison.

 

[jcam222]

A couple of the available mods look great for smoking. One is the deflector cover and the other thst looks good is a full size middle rack

 

[mcokevin]

I have used the bottom racks for smoking without any problems. If I am just smoking a small amount of meat I'll use the middle shelf and put some drip pans on the bottom shelf, but I've done up to 7 racks of ribs on the 1050 without any problems at all, I had 3 on the bottom shelf directly. They came out great.

I usually put a water pan over by the fire box, and hang a temp probe or two on the bottom side of the middle shelf to monitor the temps throughout the cook chamber. If I'm doing ribs every 90 minutes or so I'll switch the racks to different positions so they cook evenly. Something more forgiving like pork shoulder you'd probably only need to rotate every few hours so they cook evenly.

There is a ton of cooking space. I could fit 8.5 racks of ribs on there and still have a water pan. It'd be tight - but very possible.

Here's a smoke with a few racks on the bottom:

 

[srr5008]

I have used the bottom racks for smoking without any problems. If I am just smoking a small amount of meat I'll use the middle shelf and put some drip pans on the bottom shelf, but I've done up to 7 racks of ribs on the 1050 without any problems at all, I had 3 on the bottom shelf directly. They came out great.

I usually put a water pan over by the fire box, and hang a temp probe or two on the bottom side of the middle shelf to monitor the temps throughout the cook chamber. If I'm doing ribs every 90 minutes or so I'll switch the racks to different positions so they cook evenly. Something more forgiving like pork shoulder you'd probably only need to rotate every few hours so they cook evenly.

There is a ton of cooking space. I could fit 8.5 racks of ribs on there and still have a water pan. It'd be tight - but very possible.

Thanks for the input. If I pull the trigger, I will probably look into the LSS water pan mod.